PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Three police officers testified on Monday about a shooting that took place Friday outside Sky Lounge in South Providence that resulted in the city Board of Licenses holding an emergency...

By W. Zachary Malinowski

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Three police officers testified on Monday about a shooting that took place Friday outside Sky Lounge in South Providence that resulted in the city Board of Licenses holding an emergency hearing and shutting down the club for 72 hours.

Now, the club, at 1228 Broad St., will remain closed until at least Thursday when the hearing continues before the board in City Hall.

John Ciolli, lawyer for Sky Lounge and its owners, said that he was hired just two hours before Monday’s hearing and needs time to answer a subpoena and gather evidence of the shooting that may have been recorded on a video system outside the club. He also said that he plans to interview witnesses.

“I’m really getting up to speed on this as we go along,” Ciolli said.

Two police officers, Matthew McGloin, who is assigned to the Violent Crime Task Force, and Detective Richard Esposito, testified that they responded to a “shots-fired” call at the nightclub on Friday at about 1:30 a.m. They said that Justin Taylor, 27, was shot in the right shoulder and was treated in a rescue vehicle.

The wound was not life-threatening, and he was treated at Rhode Island Hospital and released.

The alleged shooter, Samuel Judd, 27, of 265 Massachusetts Ave., was arrested and placed in the rear of a police cruiser.

McGloin described the activity outside the club as “chaotic,” with about 50 to 75 people in a panic mode.

“It was very chaotic,” he testified. “There were people running all over the place. There was a lot of yelling.”

He said that 15 to 20 uniformed police officers and detectives arrived on the scene within minutes.

Esposito said that Taylor and another man identified Judd as the shooter. He said that no shell casing or weapon was recovered.

The detective answered: “There was some kind of disturbance in the parking lot.”

McGloin said that the police detained three other men, including a member of the YNIC gang, who were denied entry into the club. They were not arrested or charged with any crimes, but were questioned as to why they were in the neighborhood.

He said that the alleged gunman, victim and the three men detained are well-known to the Providence police.

Lt. Oscar Perez said that there is a history of problems at the club that was previously known as Dubai, which had operated as a nightclub and hookah bar until the licensing board took action against the establishment last year.

Perez testified that there was a shooting outside the club last year and two men were assaulted in the parking lot. He also said that the police stopped a passing car with members of the Harriet Street, or H-Block gang, and seized a gun from inside the vehicle.

“The [Providence police] are very familiar with this establishment,” Perez testified. “It’s a problem place.”

Ciolli posed a series of questions about shootings on the South Side and Perez testified that there were about two reported shootings a week.

Testimony before the board is expected to resume at 1 p.m. Thursday. Ciolli said that he expects to turn over video that may have captured the shooting outside the club.